The Beginning
The evening sun stretched across the sky, painting the park in shades of gold and orange.Nico and Ron walked side by side along the quiet pathway, their footsteps slow, unhurried.
Children laughed in the distance.
Families sat on benches, talking peacefully.
For a moment, the world felt… perfect.
Then—
A shout tore through the calm.
Nico turned sharply.
Two men stood near the center of the park, arguing. Within seconds, their voices grew louder, harsher. One pushed the other.
And just like that—everything spiraled.
People began to panic. Some rushed forward to stop them, while others backed away in fear. The noise grew into chaos.
“Hey, stop!” someone yelled.
But it was too late.
A gunshot echoed.
Time seemed to shatter.
A man standing nearby froze… then collapsed to the ground.
Silence followed for a split second.
Then screams.
Nico's body went cold. His eyes locked onto the motionless figure on the ground.
An innocent person… gone in an instant.
Beside him, Ron stood completely still.
But his expression had changed.
His eyes, once calm, were now filled with something deeper—anger… pain… and helplessness.
He spoke quietly, almost to himself,
“What would the world be like… if no innocent person ever suffered like this?”
Nico glanced at him, surprised by the weight of his words.
He thought for a moment.
Then said,
“If I had the power to stop things like this… I would. No matter what it takes.”
Ron didn’t reply.
The chaos slowly faded behind them as both stood in silence, lost in their thoughts.
That night…
Nico returned home.
Everything felt normal again.
He placed his bag aside and went to take a bath, trying to wash away the uneasiness still clinging to him.
But something… didn’t feel right.
A few minutes later, Nico stepped back into his room, wiping his damp hair with a towel. He stood in front of the mirror—
And froze.
There was a piece of paper stuck to it.
His heart skipped a beat.
He was sure it wasn’t there before.
Slowly… cautiously… he stepped closer.
His fingers trembled as he reached out and peeled it off.
His eyes scanned the words:
“The time has come.
Save the innocent… by destroying the whole world.”
A chill ran down his spine.
“What…?” he whispered.
Before he could react—
A voice echoed through the room.
Deep. Cold. Unfamiliar.
“You are the chosen one…
To destroy everything… except yourself.”
Nico’s eyes widened in terror.
“Who’s there?!” he shouted, spinning around.
Nothing.
No one.
Only silence.
Heavy. Suffocating silence.
His breathing quickened.
Then—
He slowly turned toward the window.
And what he saw…
Made his blood run cold.
Everything outside had stopped.
People stood frozen mid-step.
Leaves hung motionless in the air.
Even the wind had disappeared.
It was as if the world itself had paused.
Nico stumbled back, his mind unable to process it.
“This… this isn’t real…”
His vision blurred. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
Fear took over.
And within seconds—
Everything went dark.
“Nico!”
A voice broke through the darkness.
“Nico! What are you doing?”
Nico gasped and lifted his head.
He was standing in front of the mirror.
His mother’s voice came from outside his room.
Everything was… normal.
No frozen world.
No voice.
No message.
But—
His hand was still trembling.
And the mirror…
Was completely clean.
